


Under the Dogstar

by madrastic



Series: From the Nowhere Archives [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Come Eating, Fluff, Hair-pulling, Insecurity, Light Angst, Light Dom/sub, Massage, Other, Smut, Story within a Story, Touch-Starved, but its quick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:33:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22721023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madrastic/pseuds/madrastic
Summary: Sometimes, Marsh wishes that Hollyhock would actually tell them when he's hurt or in pain. It would save them both a lot of trouble, at least. They also wish that they were any good at bedside manner, but they have time to get better at that and a perfectly willing patient to experiment on.
Relationships: Hollyhock/Marsh
Series: From the Nowhere Archives [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633051
Kudos: 8





	Under the Dogstar

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Val Day folks! Hope yall enjoy this fun lil deleted scene!

Hollyhock wasn’t okay. It set something off in Marsh’s gut, but Hollyhock was _very_ not okay. His eyes were trained on the ground and he walked like he was trying to hide a limp. All of Marsh’s questions had been evaded with conveniently short answers. It was unlike him. Aidia would slide Marsh sympathetic looks every time they tried, but, ultimately, they broke for bed, ate a dinner that Hollyhock only picked at, and retired to sleep under the stars in their own separate bedroll.

Well, that is, until Marsh caved and sat at the end of Holly’s, drumming their fingers on their crossed legs. The half-elf rolled onto his stomach, groaning into his pillow like it would make them leave him alone.

“You going to tell me what’s wrong?” Marsh kept their tone impassive.

“Fuck off and let me sleep.” Was the muffled reply.

Marsh glanced back, and Aidia, sitting up in her bedroll. She put up her hands, not willing to get involved. Sighing dramatically at her, Marsh turned their attention back to the half-elf. They ghosted their finger down one of Holly’s calves, or, where one of Holly’s calves would be under the blanket.

He flinched and drew his legs up, breaking the contact. “Marsh I’m begging.”

“Then get on your knees and beg.”

“Kinky but no. Why are you torturing me.”

Marsh folded their arms. “Because I’m worried. You’re in pain, aren’t you.”

“No.” Hollyhock lied.

“Liar.”

“And what about it.”

Marsh placed a hand on an ankle still within reach. “I care. Just let me help.”

There was a silence, and Hollyhock stretched out again tense and uneasy. “Fine. It’s my back. It hurts sometimes.”

“Then why didn’t you _say_ so? C’mon, get comfy, I’ll fix it.” They scooched up, pulling the blanket down to expose Hollyhock’s back to no resistance.

He wiggled a bit, and, with a quiet hint of embarrassment, spoke up. “I didn’t want to bother you about it.”

Marsh blinked at him with disbelief. “Just tell me these things, okay? You’re not going to bother me about it. Can I pull up your shirt?”

“Sure. And that doesn’t mean I won’t feel awkward.”

Pulling Hollyhock’s shirt up, Marsh was met with pale, smooth skin. A shiver ran through him, and Marsh smoothed the goosebumps on his back down with a gentle hand. Beneath them, Holly drew in a breath, hands tightening around his bedroll. Marsh paused in their motion.

“Does that hurt?”

Holly shook his head. “No, sorry, no, just unexpected.”

“Hm.” They ran their fingertips down Holly’s spine and watched him bite his lip, pushing his face further into the pillow. “Where _does_ it hurt?”

“Upper and midback. I don’t know why.” His hands brushed his hair out of his face.

“Mm. I’ll start on upper, then. Can I touch your shoulders?” Marsh straddled him, twisting his hair over his right shoulder.

“You have free range, as long as you don’t make it worse.”

Nodding, they ran their hands over Hollyhock’s shoulders, finding an unethical amount of tension. Gods, this man was stressed. They made circles with the pads of their fingers, warming the muscles up. They could _see_ the stiffness in Hollyhock’s body, the way he tensed up like he expected Marsh to hurt him with every motion.

“Is that alright? Do you need me to stop?” Marsh let concern bleed into their voice.

There was a quick nod. “Yep, doing great. Sorry, I’m just… uh… not used to this. You can keep going, if you want.”

“Mm.” They let themselves add pressure, and the quiet, muffled, almost unheard whimper that fell out of Hollyhock brought a smile to their face. “Is this good?” They teased.

“Yes.” A blush spread down his face, turning the skin of his neck a light pink in the firelight.

“I see. What about this?” Marsh dug their fingers in working the larger knots out, and hearing something on Hollyhock’s spine click back into place.

Hollyhock, for his part, made low-pitched “mm”s and “ah”s into his pillow. Maybe it wasn’t Marsh’s place to say so, but he looked fit to eat like this, tension slowly bleeding out of him, trying not to lose control of himself, pinned down to his own bedroll by a much smaller person. It took everything in Marsh to not devour him.

“Marsh.” Gods, Holly sounded wrecked just from this.

Marsh didn’t let up in their ministrations, working their way down to Holly’s back. “Yes, Hollyhock?”

“You’re very good at this.”

They gave him a chuckle for his troubles. “I’d hope so. Having a good time?”

“Shut up.” Hollyhock said, at the same time Marsh found what was a particularly sensitive spot, leading to Hollyhock actually saying something closer to “shut u—aah!”

“A good aah or a bad aah?” Marsh mimicked the noise, watching the blush darken.

Behind them, Aidia rose from her bedroll, a knowing smirk on her face. “You know, I think I’m going to go for a walk. You two have fun. No one get pregnant” She disappeared into the trees before they could say anything, chuckling.

Hollyhock was silent, stiffness that Marsh had worked so long to remove returning.

They leaned down, letting their hair tickle Holly’s shoulders. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Hollyhock’s voice was quiet when he answered. “A good noise.”

“Want me to make you make some more noises?” Marsh drew the tip of their index finger down along the shell of Hollyhock’s ear, and they watched all decorum flood out of him.

“Yes, please.”

They got off of Holly, kneeling just beside him. “Then roll over and let me take care of you.”

There was a brief hesitation, hackles raising ever so slightly. “Can I be in control?”

Marsh blinked, unable to think of a possible reason that could be a problem. “Sure, why not.”

The next thing they knew, they were on their back in the grass, one half-elf over them, hair falling out of he tie that held it back. Marsh could feel his erection pressing into their thigh, and they got to work wriggling out of their pants as Hollyhock pulled his down, underwear and all.

Gods, Marsh’s pants still hung off one foot, but let it not be said that they weren’t wet and Holly wasn’t hard. He lined himself up with Marsh, and the moan he made as he slowly sank in brought a flutter to Marsh’s guts that was almost wholly unrelated to the dick currently in them. Holly paused, and Marsh tangled their fingers in Holly’s hair, scratching at his scalp. Their other hand wandered under Hollyhock’s shirt, tracing their fingers over his nipple. Ducking his head, Hollyhock gasped into Marsh’s neck. That was what started him moving, setting a slow, tentative pace.

“You’re not going to break me.” Marsh dragged Holly’s head down, planting kisses down his neck.

“But you might break me.” His voice trembled as Marsh drew back, taking his face in their hands.

They pressed their lips together, kissing lightly, comfortingly. “I’ll be gentle, then.”

As Mash drew back, the look on his face, was reward enough. Holly’s wide-blown pupils, blushing skin, trembling limbs were like a drug, and Marsh wanted more. He looked like he hadn’t been touched in months, getting high just off of the proximity to someone else.

Now that they thought about it, in that context, all of Hollyhock’s half-aborted movements suddenly made sense, the way he reached out to people before flinching his hand back, how he would apologize for walking what he deemed too close to someone, all those times when he stuttered and forgot how to speak whenever they or Aidia brushed against him or grabbed his arm, or leaned over his shoulder.

Marsh could fix that, that damage.

“Harder.” They kissed under his jaw, grazing their teeth at the junction of their neck. “Fuck me, Hollyhock.”

Hollyhock needed no further encouragement. He thrust harder, almost silent save for quiet cries in response to Marsh’s hands. It was nice, if a bit frantic and wild, watching the world fall away from him, leaving only Holly and Marsh and the pressing need.

He pulled out all too soon, spilling his cum all over Marsh’s stomach. Thank the gods Marsh had the good sense to pull their shirt up, or they would have had to contend with washing it in the stream again. Sure, it wasn’t mind-blowing, world ending sex, but Marsh really didn’t care about that. It had been fun, and that was all that mattered.

There was an apologetic look in Holly’s eyes as he sat up, and Marsh dragged him back down by the shirt collar.

“If you apologize to me right now, I’m going to fuck you until you scream.” They growled out, watching Holly’s ears twitched up in the most elf-like way they had ever seen him move.

His eye was so wide and so blue, almost glowing in the dim light. “Wait five minutes and I’ll let you do just that. At least let me clean you up.”

Marsh released him and was rewarded with the view. They held his hair back as he lapped up the mess on their stomach, kissing as he went. Marsh made a manner of pleased noises, watching the show they were being treated to. That is, until the flat of Holly’s tongue dragged across their clit.

They hissed in a breath and tugged at Hollyhock’s hair, pulling a whine out of him.

“Bad?” He asked, and they could feel the heat of his breath teasing them.

“Good.” They pushed him back down.

Getting the hint, he kept licking, and Marsh got to enjoy being pampered like this, hands gently massaging their thighs, a pretty man between their legs. They kept their own hands moving, scratching and petting, giving Holly a reward for a job well done. They pulled on his hair as they felt their back start to arch up, and they rode out their orgasm on half-elf tongue.

He pulled away, wiping Marsh off of his face, hesitant as to whether or not Marsh still wanted him there. He didn’t have to say it, but Marsh could read the trepidation clear on his face. Might as well alleviate some of that.

“Stay.” They instructed, opening their arms for him.

Hollyhock laid down in their arms, almost awkwardly, keeping his hands to himself. “I—um…”

“You did a good job.” Marsh gazed up at the stars, flat on their back, stroking Holly’s hair. It was nice to pet, soft and fluffy.

Even in the dark, they could see the blush on Holly’s face darken. “You don’t have to say that.”

“But I want to. You’re a good fuck, but you’re a better bedmate.” They gave him a squeeze, punctuating their point.

Holly stiffed up again under their touch. “I can go if you want me to.”

“Why would I want that.” They brushed the hair out of Holly’s face, finding his hand and lacing their fingers with his. “The sky’s really clear tonight.”

Beside them, Hollyhock shifted, looking up. “It is. The moon’s up, and the Dogstar’s out.”

So it was, trailing after the crescent moon, a bright point in the sky, the brightest thing save the moon.

This was the perfect position, actually, Hollyhock resting his head in the crook of their neck, breathing slowing. Marsh’s hand in his hair might’ve been helping him along. His legs were tangled up in Marsh’s and, slowly, hesitantly, Holly stretched an arm over their torso.

Rubbing Holly’s thumb with the pad of theirs, Marsh spoke. “Do you know the story of the Dogstar?”

“Only the one from the Northwest Territories.” He mumbled into their neck.

“Want me to tell you the Centrailian version, and you tell me if it’s any different?”

The promise of more pets surely sweetened the pot. “Sure, if you want.”

“Of course. Comfortable?” Marsh scooched a bit closer to Hollyhock, enjoying the warmth.

There was a nod, and the arm around Marsh tightened a bit. That was progress, the first hint that Holly had gotten it through his skull that Marsh actually wanted him here.

“So, many generations ago, long before anyone on the planet was born and before the kingdom had come to be, there was a beautiful woman who lived in the center of the Greatest Lake.” Marsh started, adopting the voice their mother had used when she told them this story over and over. “She had skin so pale it was cold, and hair so white it glowed. Every night, she would walk towards the opposite shore, step after step, after step. It would take her many days to reach the shore, an entire month would pass between the time she set foot on the same dry land.

“It took her that long, though, because, as dawn rose, she would have to hide from the sun. You see, it was because she was the sun’s sister, but he disapproved of her love of the mortal coil. He thought that she should make her home far above in the sky, with him. So, every day, she would hide from his gaze beneath the waves of the Greatest Lake.

“On the shores of the lake, at the near and far end, were two towns who loved the woman more than anything, and loved watching her come across. They called her Silin, and, so, she called herself Silin.

“One day, at the near shore, on the night Silin was to walk in, she was, as always, greeted with a festival, with uproarious singing and dancing, and a masked ball. The whole night, people danced and danced with her, but, for the first time, another person caught her attention. A woman, wearing a dress that had been cut short, barefoot, with a raven mask. She had the darkest hair that Silin had ever seen, flowing down in loose waves to the backs of her calves, like someone had set the night upon her head.

“When she tucked a lock of white hair behind Silin’s ear when it had come loose from her braids, Silin’s heart jumped into her throat and she forgot how to speak.

“ _’What shall I call you?’_ Silin asked, in a voice like the singing heavens.” Marsh was definitely going to do the voices. The voices were an integral part of the experience, even if Hollyhock had gone quiet, listening.

“ _’That ruins the point of the masks, doesn’t it?’_ Replied the woman as the party wound down, and Silin realized she had been dancing with her for hours.

“It was in the wee hours of the night, when the town had started to settle down into their beds, and the band had quieted so long ago that SIlin couldn’t remember when the music stopped. But still, Silin and the woman had danced.

“ _’Then why don’t we go somewhere else?’_ Silin suggested, and the woman laughed, loudly and boldly, in a voice like a rushing brook.

“ ’ _Bold, aren’t ye? Come along, I know a place.’_

“And then, the woman led Silin by the wrist deep into the shore, far deeper than she had ever been before. They walked, and walked, and walked some more, until they came across a grotto with rocks of the smoothest silver and water of the clearest blue.

“ _’Here. This is someplace else, isn’t it?’_ The woman captured Silin’s hands in hers.

“ _’It is, indeed. May I know the identity of my partner now?’_

“The woman laughed again, and Silin had to add in a silver-tongued chuckle. _‘Dogstar. You can call me Dogstar.’_

“ _’An interesting name.’_

“ _’Says the light of the night herself.’_

“Dogstar took off her mask, and Silin gasped. Her face was different from the rest of her form. Where the skin of her body had been black like soot, her face was the lightest white, eyes a milky blue. Even the inside of her mouth was a pale, milk-blue. She was beautiful. No, not beautiful, she was enrapturing.

“Silin couldn’t breathe, but that didn’t stop her from leaning closer to Dogstar, Dogstar leaning closer to her, closer, and closer, until their lips brushed at the first light of dawn. Silin gasped, and the sky shook with the sun’s rage. Dogstar gripped the front of her dress, and Silin began to run, Dogstar trailing after her.

“ **’Who dares disturb my sister? Who dares tie her to the mortal coil?’** Boomed the sun.

“ _’I do!’_ Shouted Dogstar. _‘My name is Dogstar, and I dare defy you!’_

“Silin shushed Dogstar, praying that she be silent, but Dogstar only whooped and hollered as they made their way to the shore. Silin ran out onto the water, and Dogstar swam after her with strong, powerful strokes, following her all the way to the center of the Greatest Lake.

“ _’Don’t fear him.’_ Dogstar called out from below Silin. _‘All he does is rain heat down. So what if there’s another drought? We’ve survived them all, have we not? And if we don’t, then what? Death is another way to pass the time, and when we return, our mouths will fill with the water of want anyway.’_

“But Silin feared him still, and she could see her brother carving up the water around the lake. The world beneath their feet shuddered as the waters began to rise. Under them, water rushed to fill the gap the surface had left, and Dogstar clung to Silin’s leg. Silin took her hand, kneeling at the mirror of the waves.

“ _’Do you not fear this? Do you not fear what might come of this? This is the end of cycles, the end of your era.’_ She pleaded, tears in her eyes.

“Dogstar only laughed. _‘What do I care! Let it come down! Look at the rivers we are making! The winds will push this rain to the north and create a new season, one of rains and cool to combat the summer heat! I know your stomach has gone with the thought that your brother can swallow you, but, if he does, he puts himself out.’_

“Silin blinked. She was right. _‘How did you know that?’_

“ _’He’s made of heat and fire, and we’re standing on a plane of water. So what if he drags us into the sky? How is he going to touch you? Just go to the opposite shore, he can’t cross.’_ Dogstar grinned at Silin as the surface of the Greatest Lake was set in the sky, stars warbling through it.

“Silin glowed, and Dogstar glowed too, and every day, they run to the opposite side of the sky, running and taunting the sun, unable to catch them without putting himself out. They still walk across the shore, too, cloaking themselves in darkness, slowly coming back into their full silver glory once a month. And that’s the story of the moon and the Dogstar.” Marsh finished.

At their shoulder, there was no response, just the steady in and out of breathing as Hollyhock’s exhales fanned out across the skin of their neck.

“Holly?” Marsh disrupted the steady rhythm of their hand through Hollyhock’s hair to no avail. He only mumbled something, voice slurred with sleep, and pulled Marsh closer.

This was adorable, Hollyhock curled up around him. And warm. Hollyhock was very warm. Maybe telling him a story immediately after sex wasn’t the best idea if Marsh wanted an awake audience, but it wasn’t that they minded. He needed this, this rest, this security, this knowledge that he wasn’t going to be dropped like a stone the second someone else came along.

Aidia returned soon after, taking one look at the tangled mess Marsh had gotten into and pointing behind her, is if to hint that she could just leave and come back later. Marsh shook their head.

“He’s out, could you hand me that blanket?” They stuck their hands out for Holly’s blanket, and Aidia draped it over them.

Getting into her own bed, she raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to sleep like that?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“You have your own bedroll.”

Marsh pushed the hair out of Hollyhock’s face again, trying to keep it out of his mouth. “Yeah, but I think he need this.”

Aidia blinked slowly. “You hate doing things like this.”

“I hate doing things like this for people I don’t care about.” Marsh qualified.

“Since when do you care about Hollyhock?”

That drew a frown out of them. “I care plenty. He’s nice and he’s travelling with us. Plus, I’m pretty sure he has some trauma and I _am_ a healer.”

Aidia stifled a laugh. “You _hate_ being called a healer, and you _hate_ doing mental health, and you _hate_ doing bedside manner. You’ve never cared about trauma before.”

“I just… you don’t hear it because you’re a heavy sleeper, but he cries in his sleep, and begs for his life.”

“And screams.” Aidia added helpfully.

“And screams. I just want to make his shit a little less wrecked.”

“That’s… noble of you, Marsh.” Aidia drew the covers up. “I didn’t expect that from you.”

“Also, I get to fuck his brains out and he gives good head. And his hair is _so_ soft.” Marsh drew the blanket up around them. Holly still hadn’t stirred. Gods, maybe he needed a good screw more often if this was what it took out of him.

Aidia laid down. “Oh, I see now. That's more information than I would have liked to knw.”

“Mm. I’m sure. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

They weren’t disturbed all night. Hollyhock didn’t shift or scream or whimper, he didn’t do much of anything aside from sleep and snore just a little bit until the sun came up. It was then that Marsh was woken by the light, groaning as they swiped a hand across their eyes. At their shoulder, Hollyhock stared out at the tree line body still relaxed.

“You didn’t leave.” His voice was quiet, as if he was scared that by speaking, this all would shatter.

“Yep.” Marsh said as they slowly came back to consciousness.

“Why?”

Marsh scratched at the nape of Holly’s neck in a way that, from the sigh that Holly let out, was enjoyable. “Because I wanted to. I’m always going to stay.”

“Okay.” There was still a strain of disbelief in his voice, but it was cut down when Marsh tightened their grip on Holly’s hand. They were still holding hands, how cute. “Thanks for fixing my back.”

“Anytime. Now let’s go back to sleep before Aidia notices we’re awake and makes us get up for real.”

“Smart.” Holly rolled over, burying his face in the base of Marsh’s neck, and, within minutes, was comatose again, drooling onto the grass underneath them.

Marsh could work with that.

**Author's Note:**

> A deleted scene of Aconite (book 1)


End file.
